Ear Tubes

While Z may have hit the jackpot with her good looks, bilingual background, and her abilities to travel the globe (haha), she did not get great ears from us. Sorry, kiddo. Z has had chronic ear infections since January. In fact, I believe there has only been a period of about two weeks since then that she hasn't been on an antibiotic to treat an infection. That's not good because constant antibiotics can reduce her body's immune system, cause an upset stomach, and, as we found out with the most recent dose, can cause allergies. Yuck. 

Because of her history, we were referred to the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor at Children's Hospital. Z actually had her consultation on her first birthday, poor girl. At the appointment, they did a hearing test to see if the infections had caused any damage. Luckily, her hearing was perfect and she didn't fuss at all. The audiologists were impressed with Z's laid back nature and said she had made their job easier and had subsequently made their morning. Way to go, Z! Next we saw the ENT. Z's ears were perfect and there was no fluid from her last infection. The doctor said at that point, the surgery was optional, but if Z got another infection, she'd definitely need the tubes. We left feeling excited and hopeful that she'd never come down with another infection.

Fast forward 10 days: Z was fussy all night and woke up with a low-grade fever. I took her to the pediatrician, and surprise, surprise, she had another infection. It took 3 days for me to get through to Children's because nobody was returning my voicemails, but I finally was able to schedule Z's tube surgery for this morning. 

The entire ear tube procedure is an easy one: the doctor merely inserts a tiny--and I mean tiny, since it's no bigger than the size of this 'i'--tube into the patient's ear drum, which allows fluid to drain out. When fluid is retained, it harbors bacteria and becomes infected frequently. Until the child's ear is fully formed, the fluid can't drain out. After 6-12 months, the tubes fall out on their own, the hole seals itself, and voila, you've got a happy kid with fully-developed ears. The tubes don't eliminate the odds of getting an infection, but they do make it easier to treat and often cut down on the number of infections a kid will have. 

We had to arrive at Children's at 6:15 this morning. Naturally, I didn't sleep much last night because I was afraid we'd oversleep and miss the appointment. Z was also really clingy last night, probably because she could pick up on our stress. When we walked into the Same Day Surgery waiting room, it was packed! From the looks of it, there were a lot of kids there for procedures that were far more invasive and serious than ear tubes, so once again I realized how lucky we are for our healthy little Z. Our nurse came and got us and took us to the pre-op room. She went over Z's health history, listened to her breathing, checked temperature and weight, and printed off Z's hospital bracelets. There was a cool playroom down the hall so we went to play there; we also waited in the room and were able to watch Clifford, which made Z a very happy camper. The ENT's assistants came and talked to us, then the anesthesia general practitioner came in and talked about Z's overall health. The nurse brought Z a mixture of Tylenol and oxycodone, which Z sucked down. The nurse and general practitioner were impressed and said they usually have to fight kids to take the medicine; we call medicine "yum yums" and make a big deal out of it tasting good, so we've never had problems with Z taking her medicine. Before we knew it, the anesthesiologists came to talk things over and take Z. They asked what flavor of laughing gas Z would like--cherry--then they took her off. She didn't even cry or look back. We waited in the room for only 7 minutes, then the ENT doctor came back and said everything was great and went well. There was no lingering fluid from her recent infections, and no signs of permanent damage from the infections. We have to go back in 4-8 weeks for a checkup.

We went to recovery to see Z. She was really mad at the nurses but calmed down when we held her. She took a bit to come out of it, and was sleepy. She woke up for some graham crackers and water though. On the way home, she projectile vomited, which is very common after this procedure. We came home and she ate a bit, then went down for a nap. It's been almost 3 hours and she's still dozing. The girl never naps! 

I'm just so glad this is over. Yes, it's best for Z to not be in constant pain or taking antibiotics constantly, but it's terrifying when your kid has to go under. There are risks anytime surgery is performed or anesthesia is involved. Yes, the procedure only took 7 minutes. Yes, everyone says it's harder on the parents than the children. It's still scary though. There's nothing like being down at Children's Hospital to make you realize how good you've got it, and how lucky you are for your biggest problem being ear infections. 

Thoughts on Parenthood

Your heart will melt the first time your baby smiles at you.

Diaper explosions and leaks are inevitable, so carry plastic bags at all times.

Z started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks. Yep, we’re very, very lucky.

Teething sucks for everybody, but those pearly whites are so cute!

We had our first ER visit when Z was 5 months old because of an RSV scare at daycare. Thankfully she didn’t have RSV, just an ear infection. She was chumming it up with the nurses while we waited to see the doctor.

Tragedies like Sandy Hook and the Boston Marathon bombings make you realize how precious life is and how you’ll do anything to protect your child. Z will always be my baby…even when she’s 60.

Milestones are exciting! Sitting up, crawling, starting solids, talking, using a spoon and fork, waving, clapping, walking…there are so many things your baby learns to do during her first year of life.

Take family photos on a regular basis. We’ve taken a total of 4 since Z was born (and none professionally). I’ve vowed to get better about this.

Take at least one photo a day of your kid. They grow too fast.

Traveling is easy if you’re calm, come prepared, and go with the flow.

The other day I was lying on our bed with Z and I kissed her forehead. She looked at me, then reached over and gave me a really slobbery kiss on my cheek. I started laughing so she kept doing it. Be sure to record little moments like this so you can look back and reminisce.

It would be nice to be able to go to the bathroom alone.

An empty plastic bottle filled with macaroni noodles or beads makes as good of a toy as a $5 rattle.

Google will put your mind at ease and give you more to worry about all at once.

Family-Friendly Frozen Treats

Since the 4th of July is synonymous with eating delicious frozen desserts (or at least it is to me), I've been trying to find a healthy alternative to ice cream packed with sugar. And boy, did I find one. Best of all, the ingredients are things you already have around the house. This recipe is good for humans and animals alike, because the ingredients are all-natural. 

Ingredients

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

3/4 cup blueberries, or to taste

3/4 cup strawberries, or to taste

Ripe bananas

Ice cube trays

I made a few different batches: blueberry, strawberry, banana, and plain. Blend the fruit and yogurt in the blender until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Baby, pooch, and kitties (give them the plain kind) can all enjoy this healthy frozen treat. Happy 4th of July! 

Z is 9 Months Old

How did it happen? It feels like we just brought Z home from the hospital yesterday. She’s growing so fast. Suddenly it’s dawning on me that we almost have a toddler, not a little baby! Z’s at a really fun age because she’s so curious about her surroundings and everything is a learning experience. You can just see the wheels turning as she grasps new ideas about how things work. She can now repeat what we say, and “Uh oh” is her favorite phrase. She can clap, wave, dance, sing, stand on her own, chase the cats, and is on full table food. She has a bunch of really good friends at school. She loves Goodnight Moon, Pat the Bunny, and Madeline. Z has to be the one to turn off a light when we leave a room. She likes playing outside and going for walks. She’s got an amazing personality, is low-maintenance, and is a very adaptable kid.

I’m so excited to see what the future holds for Z. I’m curious to see how well she’ll speak French and English and transition between the two. What will be her first words? What will she be interested in? Will she like sports? Reading? Traveling? What will she do when she grows up?

Parenthood is so exciting, and there’s nothing quite like it in the world. I wish it didn’t go so fast though. We’re so lucky to have our little Zozo!

Three Years Later: An Update

After taking a three-year hiatus from writing my blog, I’ve decided to return. I thoroughly enjoy writing and really need to get back to doing so on a daily basis. A lot has changed in three years. Here is a brief summary of what is going on in my life:

Marriage: My French husband and I married in July 2011. Time has flown and it’s been great. Tackling the tedious immigration process to get my husband’s Green Card was hard and lengthy but he has it now. It’ll be a couple of years before he’ll be able to apply for U.S. citizenship and I’ll be eligible for French citizenship through marriage. Thinking about all that paperwork and preparation stresses me out so we will tackle that when the time comes. Every member of our family having dual-citizenship will be pretty neat.

Baby: Four months after we got married we found out we were expecting. Zoe was born six days before our first wedding anniversary. She’s the greatest thing to ever happen to us and constantly keeps us entertained. Motherhood is pretty amazing. Raising a bilingual baby is pretty interesting. The diaper explosions are pretty nasty. Our house is pretty messy. We’re a pretty happy little American-French family though, so it’s okay.

Fur babies: We adopted our cat Tucker on September 11, 2011. I wanted to do something worthwhile that day so adopting a cat made sense, sort of. He’s a really cuddly guy and is very smart; he enjoys opening dresser drawers and sleeping amongst our clothes. Robin is his favorite person ever. We adopted Lily Pip when she was 10 weeks old and a month before Z arrived. A kitten and a newborn? Crazy. I can check that off the list. Our cats are not declawed because it’s inhumane so our furniture is torn to shreds. Lily likes taking our art off the walls and climbing in the silverware drawer in the kitchen. She sleeps in the bathtub. Tucker and Lily are best buds. We always say that raising our cats is harder than raising Z. I can’t imagine our house without pets though.

House: We bought our house in April 2012. It’s a pretty modest little house but it works well for us. We watch a lot of HGTV and have big design aspirations. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to accomplish them all.

Car: We shared a car for the first 9 months of our marriage. That was pretty tricky and involved a lot of scheduling, but we saved a lot of money. Before Z’s arrival we needed to get a second one. So we did. I’ll be glad when we’re done paying that sucker off. The inside currently smells like Starbucks Vanilla Blonde Roast because of the Great Coffee Spill of 2013.

Graduate School: I started working on my master’s in January 2012. I’m studying Nonprofit Administration. It’s pretty cool. I’ll enjoy working in the nonprofit sector and hopefully making a difference in people’s lives.

After doing all of these events in the span of less than a year, I’m tired. It’s time to settle down and not make any more huge life changes, for a while at least. Time is flying so fast!